The Little Rag Doll
Scottish Country Dance Instruction
The Little Rag Doll R8x40 3 couples (4C set) Fiona MacDonald Dedicated Dancing, 20081 - 8 1s ½ turn R, lead down between 2s and 3s, cast up into 2nd place and turn RH (2s step up on 3+4)
9 - 16 1s with L2 RH across, L1 followed by M1 and L2 dance up and round M2 by LSh (1s to 2nd pl) and L1 pulling RSh back 1s TR, while L2 returns to own side at top of set
17 - 24 1s with M3 RH across, L1 followed by M1 and M3 dance down and round L3 by LSh (1s to 2nd place on opposite sides) and L1 pulling RSh back 1s TR, while M3 returns to 3rd place own side
25 - 32 1s dance ½ figure of eight, L up, M down (around partner's 2nd corner by RSh) to 2nd place own side, 2s and 1s cross RH, ½ RH across, stay in centre of set (123)
33 - 40 1s and 2s poussette (213)
(Dance crib compiled by the deviser Fiona MacDonald)
Keith Rose's Crib Diagrams
Dance Information
A rag doll is a soft doll made from scraps of fabric. As one of the oldest children's toys, it has a long history of providing comfort and fostering imaginative play.Modern rag dolls, though often mass-produced, retain the charm of their handmade predecessors with simple features, cloth bodies, and patchwork clothing.
Historically, rag dolls were crafted at home using leftover fabric, both for the body and stuffing. They have been found in ancient sites, with a Roman-era rag doll discovered in a child's grave dating from the 1st to 5th century AD, now housed in the British Museum. Traditionally, these dolls served as comfort objects and helped teach young children nurturing skills. They were also used as an introduction to sewing, allowing children to create clothing and even make simple dolls of their own.
In America, from the colonial period to the early 20th century, children of all social classes played with dolls made from rags or corn husks. The mass production of rag dolls began around 1830, following the development of fabric colour printing, making these cherished toys more widely available.

The Little Rag Doll
Manhattan Toy Lilydoll Ragdoll Brunette 18" - Cloth Classic Play Doll By Manhattan Toy Company
Published in Dedicated Dancing Collection, reproduced here with the kind permission of the deviser, Fiona MacDonald.
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Text from this original Rag Doll article on Wikipedia.
Image copyright Fiona Macdonald, all rights reserved, 2008.
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